Taranaki family syndicate claim $12.5 million Powerball prize

A family syndicate from Taranaki has come forward and claimed the $12.5 million Powerball prize won on Saturday.

The family, who wish to remain anonymous, have a long-standing tradition of buying a Lotto ticket as a syndicate when they are together a few times each year.

With them together for a gathering on Saturday, the family decided to pick up a ticket when they were out shopping on Saturday afternoon.

“We had popped out for a coffee and some shopping and decided to stop by Fitzroy Lotto & Mags to pick up our family ticket. I just put it in my wallet and forgot about it to be honest,” said the lucky sister that bought the winning ticket.

It wasn’t until late that night that one of the sisters saw on Facebook that the winning Powerball ticket had been sold at the store they had visited – but the ticket was safely tucked away at her sister’s house.

“I bolted across the house and told my other sister that we’d bought our ticket from the winning store,” said the sister.

“We tried to calm down by telling ourselves that it was probably someone else, but all we wanted to do was check that ticket.”

Deciding it was too late to call, the sisters had a restless night wondering whether that little yellow ticket was about to change their family’s life.

First thing the next morning she sent her sister a text asking her to check the ticket.

“We were sitting in the lounge in our pyjamas watching the rugby, when I got a text from my sister letting me know that Fitzroy had sold the winning ticket and asking whether I’d checked it yet,” said the sister who bought the ticket.

“I wasn’t in any hurry to check it to begin with, but I could tell from her message that she really wanted me to, so I thought I had better do it.”

After checking off all six Lotto numbers and the correct Powerball on a single line of their ticket, the woman hastily text her sister telling her that they had better come over.

“She thought I was joking at first,” laughed the sister with the ticket.

“My exact words were ‘bull banarka’ – I was so sure she was having us on,” said her sister.

Thinking of the easiest way to convince her sisters that it was no joke, the woman quickly took a photo of their ticket and sent it to them.

“I didn’t reply after that – we just raced over to her house as soon as we could,” said her sister.

“They turned up on my doorstep minutes later, still in their dressing gowns and slippers. I handed them the ticket and we all just stood in the lounge cheering and hugging,” said the sister who bought the ticket.

After keeping their $12.5 million winning ticket hidden in a safe for the past week, the family claimed their prize at Lotto NZ’s Auckland head office today.

With the prize now claimed, the family is looking forward to using the winnings to set-up their family – both now and for future generations.

“This win is an amazing gift and we want to make the most of it. It’s an incredible feeling knowing that our children and grandchildren won’t have to count every penny,” said the winners.

“I’m sure it will sink in eventually, but for now we can hardly believe it. We feel incredibly, incredibly lucky.”

The winning ticket was sold at Fitzroy Lotto & Mags in New Plymouth.

ENDS

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